The notch was never meant to be permanent
Since 2017, the notch atop Apple's iPhone has served as a visible reminder that even the most refined technology carries its compromises. Now, leaked factory renderings suggest Apple is preparing to retire that compromise for its Pro models — replacing the notch with two precise cutouts, each shaped only as large as what it must hold. It is a quiet kind of progress: not a reinvention, but a refinement, offered selectively to those who pay for the privilege.
- Leaked CAD renders from an Indian tech blog claim to reveal Apple's most anticipated design change in five years — the removal of the iPhone's iconic notch.
- The images contradict prominent leakers who predicted flush rear cameras and redesigned buttons, injecting fresh uncertainty into the pre-release rumor landscape.
- Apple appears to be drawing a sharp visual line between its Pro and standard models, reserving the new cutout design exclusively for the premium tier while base models keep the notch.
- The Pro line's differentiation goes deeper than aesthetics — analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reports that only Pro models will receive the new A16 chip, an unusual generational split for Apple.
- With conflicting leaks and unverified source files, the industry watches carefully — these renders may be the clearest signal yet, or simply an early prototype that never survived to launch.
On Wednesday, a tech blog in India published design renderings it claims are derived from leaked factory blueprints for the iPhone 14 Pro. The images show Apple's flagship without its long-standing notch — replaced instead by two separate display cutouts: a small circular hole for the dot projector that powers Face ID, and a pill-shaped opening beside it for the front camera and infrared sensor.
The notch was always a compromise, born from the limits of early Face ID engineering. As those limits receded, the question was never whether Apple would remove it, but how. These renders offer one answer — though they also raise new questions. Prominent leaker Jon Prosser had claimed the iPhone 14 Pro would feature flush rear cameras and redesigned round volume buttons. The CAD images show neither. The rear camera module appears nearly identical to the iPhone 13 Pro's raised bump, and the buttons remain the familiar oblong shapes users have known for years.
Apple is expected to announce four iPhone 14 models this fall across two screen sizes, having quietly retired the unpopular mini. The new cutout design, however, will be exclusive to Pro variants — a deliberate move to make the premium tier visually distinct. That distinction extends to the processor as well: analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reports Pro models will receive the new A16 Bionic chip, while the standard iPhone 14 carries over the A15 from last year — a generational reuse not seen since the earliest iPhones.
These renderings are unconfirmed, and the gap between their claims and those of other credible leakers suggests the final design remains unsettled. But if the factory files are genuine, they sketch a portrait of Apple's philosophy this cycle: not a radical reinvention, but a careful, tiered refinement — progress parceled out by price.
A tech blog in India published a set of design renderings on Wednesday that purport to show what Apple's next flagship iPhone will actually look like. The images, which the site claims derive from leaked factory blueprints, depict the iPhone 14 Pro without the notch that has defined the phone's top edge since 2017. Instead, two separate cutouts interrupt the display: a small circular hole for one sensor, and a pill-shaped opening beside it.
For years now, Apple watchers have anticipated this moment. The notch was never meant to be permanent—it was a compromise, a way to fit Face ID sensors and a camera into the top of the screen when the technology couldn't be hidden beneath the glass. As the engineering improved, the question became not whether Apple would remove it, but how. These renderings suggest the answer: two distinct openings, each sized precisely for what it needs to contain. The circular hole will house the dot projector that powers Face ID. The pill-shaped cutout, wider and more elongated, will hold the front-facing camera and the infrared camera that Face ID also requires. The speaker grille stays where it is, embedded in the top bezel.
What's notable about these images is what they don't show. Several prominent leakers, including YouTube personality Jon Prosser, had claimed that the iPhone 14 Pro would feature a completely redesigned rear, with camera lenses sitting flush against the back glass instead of protruding in a bump. These renderings contradict that. The camera module looks nearly identical to what appeared on last year's iPhone 13 Pro—three lenses arranged in a square, housed in a raised bump that juts out from the body. Similarly, Prosser's sources had suggested the volume buttons would be redesigned as round controls, and that the speaker and microphone grilles would be reimagined. Again, the CAD images show the same oblong buttons and familiar grille designs that iPhone users have known for years.
Apple is expected to announce four iPhone 14 models this fall, in two screen sizes: 6.1 inches and 6.7 inches. The company is reportedly dropping the "mini" variant, which never found a large audience. But the design changes shown here—the hole-punch and pill-shaped cutouts—will only appear on the Pro versions. The standard iPhone 14 models will keep the notch. This represents a deliberate strategy to make the Pro line visually distinct, to give customers a reason to pay more for the premium tier.
That differentiation extends beyond the display. According to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who has a strong track record with Apple predictions, the Pro models will receive a new A16 Bionic processor, while the base iPhone 14 will use the same A15 chip that powered the iPhone 13. This would be historically unusual. The last time Apple reused a processor across a full generation gap was with the original iPhone and the iPhone 3G, both of which ran identical 412MHz ARM chips. For a company that typically uses processor upgrades as a key selling point, this move signals that Apple sees the visual redesign as the primary draw for the Pro line this year.
These renderings, of course, are not official. They're interpretations of leaked factory files, which means they could be incomplete, outdated, or based on early prototypes that never made it to production. The conflict between what these images show and what other credible leakers have claimed suggests that uncertainty still surrounds the final design. But if these CAD files are genuine, they offer the clearest picture yet of how Apple plans to evolve its flagship phone—not with a radical overhaul, but with a focused refinement of the display, reserved for those willing to pay for the Pro designation.
Citas Notables
The hole-punch and pill-shaped cutouts are only expected to be featured on the highest-end iPhone 14 variants, while the two lower-end models will continue to feature a notch.— Industry reporting based on multiple sources
La Conversación del Hearth Otra perspectiva de la historia
So these are supposedly based on actual factory blueprints. How confident should we be that this is what we'll actually see in September?
Moderately confident, but with real caveats. CAD files can leak, and when they do, they're usually accurate about the basic geometry. But these are interpretations of those files, rendered by a third party. Early prototypes get scrapped all the time.
The notch has been around since 2017. Why did it take Apple this long to figure out how to get rid of it?
It's not that they didn't know how. It's that the technology had to catch up. Face ID requires multiple sensors, and they all needed to fit somewhere. As the components got smaller and more efficient, hiding them became possible. The pill shape is clever—it's the minimum space needed for two cameras and an infrared sensor.
What strikes me is that the rear camera design apparently hasn't changed much. I thought that was supposed to be the big story.
That's where the leaks conflict. Some credible sources said the bump would disappear entirely, lenses flush with the glass. These renderings show the bump staying. It's possible both are right—maybe Apple considered it, prototyped it, and decided against it. Or maybe these files are from an earlier design phase.
The processor situation is weird, right? Reusing the A15 in the base model?
Extremely weird by Apple's standards. It signals that this year, the visual design is the main reason to buy Pro. Usually the processor is the headline. This time, it's the display cutouts.
Do you think people will actually care about the difference between a hole and a notch?
Absolutely. The notch has been a visual compromise for five years. Removing it feels like the phone finally grew up. Whether it's a hole or a pill doesn't matter as much as the fact that it's smaller, more elegant, less intrusive. That's worth something to people who look at their phones all day.